The last Friday in May was the beginning of the newest chapter for the Humboldt Crabs. The ballpark has gotten a facelift, the team has turned over, but the sounds, smells and ambiance are all the same. The Crab Grass band, photographer Matt Filar and the notorious hecklers were all in attendance, primed and ready.
One of the familiar faces, local Myles Standish, in his third summer as a Crab, would get the call to the mound to open the season. “They let me know Thursday night and I was just really excited. I grew up coming to Crabs games and I wasn’t really expecting it, but it’s always been a dream of mine,” said Standish, a 6-foot-2-inch southpaw from College of the Redwoods. The lefty would make the most of the opportunity, giving up one run on three hits over five innings, while striking out six. “I was throwing mostly fastballs and change-ups, goin’ hard in and using my change-up away. I was just trying to get ahead and stay in the zone,” he said. “I really trust Kawana [Soares] back there. I love throwing to him.”
Soares, the Crabs opening night catcher from Hawaii, is back for another summer in Arcata after taking last summer off. “It’s awesome being back. When I was here before, I was so impressed with the fans and the atmosphere, and the energy at the ballpark. It’s been fun to come back and see how some of the local kids have grown, and see some of the familiar faces in the crowd. I love playing here,” said Soares. One of the biggest leaps Soares has seen was in his starting pitcher. “Miles’ velocity is up, he has better command, he has a different presence. It was really cool to see how he’s progressed and he threw great. I’m glad he got the call on opening night.”
After the Crabs took an early 1-0 lead in the third inning, the Novato Knicks would answer back to tie the score in the fourth. The Crabs would take the lead back in the fifth inning, but a two-run home run would then give the Knicks a one-run lead in the sixth. The Crabs proved resilient, though. In their half of the frame, the boys would answer with two runs of their own. A Sutter Moss single followed by a wild pitch and a double from Adam Enyart would tie the game. A walk would advance the runners and set up Parker Rogers to drive in a run on a fielder’s choice. The Crabs would not look back. Kayden Kohlberg would come on for two flawless innings of relief to earn the save. He struck out three batters and the good guys walked away victorious on opening night, 4-3.
Saturday night’s contest would be just as back and forth, but with one of the strangest finishes you’ll see at the ballpark. After four scoreless innings of relief from Peter Caldera, RBI singles from both Nolan Hamilton and Rodgers would put the Crabs up 3-1 in the seventh. The Knicks would answer with two runs scored with two outs in the eighth to set up a wild ninth inning for the Crabs. Some games are won with blood, sweat and tears, but Saturday night was won with bruises. The bottom of the ninth would see three batters hit by pitches. A fourth batter was hit, but because it hit his bat on the way to his sternum it was called a foul ball. Ultimately, the Crabbies would “walk it off” after the Knicks pitcher’s continued struggles to find the strike zone resulted in the Crabs taking game two, 4-3.
Sunday, the bats came alive. Starter David Zazueta put together a solid start, striking out eight, but also struggled with the zone, walking five. The Crabs would put up five runs in the second, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, two in the sixth, and another five in the seventh. The barrage would prove to be too much for the Knicks, and the Crabs would roll 17-7 behind three RBIs apiece from Soares, Keenan Morris, Moss and Cayden Lee. The brooms were broken out and the Crabs open the season with a 3-0 sweep of the Novato Knicks. The boys are back in action Wednesday Night against the Humboldt Eagles, before opening a three-game series against the Fresno A’s. See you all at the yard. Go, Crabs, go!
Heckle of the Week
To the Knicks pitcher with extremely tight pants: “Hey 32, who paints your pants on?”
Brandon Dixon (he/him) is a former All American who played college baseball for Orange Coast College, Point Loma Nazarene and the Peninsula Oilers. Father to two little girls, he’s also the host of The Brando Show podcast.
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This article appears in Humboldt Crabs Baseball.
Yeah, but what happens when they hit the Prune Packers ? (love the Crabs ! – but it always seems a little unfair that Healdsburg ends up recruiting more Division 1 players – no disrespect to the Crabs who recruit great players – just that the addition of one or two extra lights out pitchers or major sluggers seems to make a difference…)
Well standish still owns a 0.00 d1 era last i checked. Wish cal poly had a team and redwoods had a field. Theres no d1 within 200 miles. Makes it difficult to attract the type of d1 talent you mention. Healdsburg is also the clear #2 in sonoma to the stompers so maybe the talent differential is not as big as imagined? Glad the local boys are getting the chance in front of the home crowds this summer! Go crabs go!